Ted Cruz is closing in on Donald Trump in a crucial state

Ted Cruz may be gaining on Republican presidential frontrunner
Donald Trump in the largest remaining state in the Republican
primary.

A new
USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll of likely Republican
voters published on Sunday showed the Texas senator, with 35%
support, just 1 point behind Trump's 36% in California.

California is the largest and most delegate-heavy state remaining
in the Republican nominating contest. In the poll, Ohio Gov. John
Kasich, the third GOP candidate, logged a distant third with 14%
support.

Other recent polls have mostly shown Trump with a large lead
over Cruz and Kasich, and with the primary still over two months
away, the polls could easily shift before election day.

Still, even if Trump wins the primary outright, Cruz's strength
in California could still pose a problem for the real-estate
magnate.

The Times/USC poll is one of the first released since Sen. Marco
Rubio dropped out of the race, and could hint that Cruz has a
shot at taking a large chunk of the delegates home in California.
Thirteen delegates are awarded to the statewide winner, while the
remaining ones are awarded by whichever candidate wins each
district.

The Sunday poll also found Cruz's strength concentrated in Los
Angeles County and the Central Valley, one of the more rural
parts of the state. Some
observers further speculated that Kasich could play well in
Democratic-heavy coastal areas. Taken together, Cruz and
Kasich's support in California could hinder Trump's goal of
securing the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the Republican
nomination on the first round of voting.